Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates generally to improved methods for the reduction of carbon dioxide. The disclosure relates more specifically to catalytic methods for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide that can be operated at commercially viable voltages and at low overpotentials.
Description of Related Art
During the last few decades, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) present in the environment has reached the highest level (396.80 ppm) of the last 20 million years, causing radical and largely unpredictable changes in the environment. Recent efforts have revealed that CO2 can be converted by electrochemical reduction processes using renewable energy sources into energy-rich modules (e.g., syngas, methanol), offering an efficient path for both CO2 remediation and an alternative energy source. Numerous physical and chemical approaches have been employed to improve the performance of existing CO2 reduction systems without achieving a major breakthrough.